Girls: WOBM Wrapup

–Thanks to the snowstorm, all eight teams that played today were coming off no practice time, with the exception of Jackson Memorial, which got a two-hour practice in Wednesday morning before playing. The play early on was sloppy all the way around, but it tended to pick up around the second quarter. I think the bottom line is, thankfully, no one pulled anything or got hurt after not picking up a basketball for five or six days.

—Proof that Southern head coach Kathy Snyder is a class act: Instead of having a bus, Rumson-Fair Haven took separate cars for Wednesday’s nightcap. When the 7:45 tip time arrived, the Bulldogs did not have five players, nor did they have a coach thanks to the Garden State Parkway South being a parking lot from about Exit 98 to Exit 82. In fact, RFH head coach George Sourlis said it took him over two hours to get from his home in Rumson down to Toms River. At about 8 p.m., Rumson had five and at least one coach, but were missing several key players, including Victoria Lesko and Ashley Cooper. WOBM tourney director Kevin Williams seemed about ready to get going with the game, but Snyder allowed the Rumson players to file in before getting underway. The game got underway around 8:20 with mostly everyone in tow for Rumson, except Ashley Cooper, who rolled in just before the 8:20 tip.

–Rumson hasn’t quite rounded into that late February/early March form, but the experience Sourlis is throwing out there is evident. The five seniors really looked like a well-oiled machine at times and if you pay close enough attention, they really aren’t turning the ball over that much. The number of turnovers on Wednesday against Southern was definitely in the single digits.

–With Cooper’s tardiness, Casey Weis got the start and she was up to task. She knocked down a trey, played tough defense out on the perimeter and really just played scrappy all the way around.

–Comical moment of the night: Cooper runs in right before the tip, changes into her uniform and makes her way to the bench. Knowing she has shin splints and should really get loose first, Sourlis basically turns her around and has her run down and back off to the side a few times before getting a little stretching in. Better safe than sorry. Cooper checked in late in the first quarter and promptly hit a layup neat the end of the quarter, her only bucket of the game.

–Let’s be honest, there aren’t usually a ton of huge regular season games involving two Ocean County teams. Friday’s WOBM semifinal between Point Boro and Jackson Memorial qualifies as a big one. Both registered decisive wins on Wednesday and they are both top 10 teams, something else that doesn’t always happen in Ocean County. I feel totally confident calling it the “de facto Ocean County Championship Game.” Hannah Missry and Christa Evans admitted as much after their game on Wednesday.

–Jackson Memorial looked very tough on Wednesday against a Monsignor Donovan team that was employing both man-to-man and zone defenses. Evans showed flashes of dominance on both ends and Missry is going to shoot at will if she is left open and even if she’s not open. After those two, Stephanie Mason, Tiffany Montagne and Kim Clemmer are superb athletes that will chip in here and there with the scoring. I thought last season’s Jackson Memorial team was well-equipped to make some real noise, but this current addition might be better.

–Point Boro has gotten good early returns from a long and athletic starting five wreaking havoc in a 1-3-1 zone along with a halfcourt press, but if Missry is left to roam free out top against a zone, she is going to do some real damage. In addition, the Panthers don’t have much in the way of height and I’m not sure they’re equipped to deal with Evans, who is hitting the short and midrange jumper with more consistency while also being a force on the boards. Friday morning should be fun with the amount of athleticism present in that game.

–After what I’m sure was a logistical nightmare over the last three days, it was good to see Kevin Williams in an upbeat mood on Wednesday. The WOBM Christmas Classic is a labor of love for Williams, Joe Arminio and the rest of the crew at Toms River North. It’s a place I always enjoy going, so count me as one person who was glad it didn’t get completely cancelled.

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About Josh Newman

Josh Newman has worked for the Press since September 2004, covering a variety of high school beats in addition to college sports and the New York Jets. A 2004 graduate of Springfield College, he is currently the beat reporter for Monmouth University.

One Response to Girls: WOBM Wrapup

Jersey Shore does have some good girl’s basketball coaches with class, as you mentioned the coach from Southern. Some coaches should learn from her and a few others. Glad to also hear about the Rumson coach actually being concerned about his players health more than pushing the girl in right away, congrats to him, I know at least one coach who would push their player out right away if they thought it would help them win and worry about injuries later. With what you say I really have to get out to a Jackson Memorial game if you think they really might be better than last year’s team. Wish I could make the JM/PPB game, but need to work. I will be following your tweeter report though as much as I can. I read what you said earlier, so do you think TRN is better than TRE?

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For the latest in Shore Conference Basketball news, analysis, commentary and live updates.

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Chris ParkerChris Parker is a graduate of East Stroudsburg Unviersity, and has been a sports reporter at the Asbury Park Press since 2010. Chris covers boys soccer in the fall, girls basketball in the winter, and boys tennis in the spring.E-mail Chris

Josh NewmanJosh Newman has worked for the Press since September 2004, covering a variety of high school beats in addition to college sports and the New York Jets. A 2004 graduate of Springfield College, he is currently the beat reporter for Monmouth University.E-mail Josh

Sherlon ChristieSherlon Christie is a sports reporter at the Asbury Park Press. He joined the APP in the fall of 2004. He grew up in Massachusetts, has a BA in Journalism from Northeastern University's School of Journalism. He is also the secretary of the National Association of Black Journalists.E-mail Sherlon